Department of Land and Natural Resources

(Līhuʻe) – The fishing season for rainbow trout at Pu’u Lua Reservoir on Kaua‘i will begin June 21st.  Due to COVID-19, the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) announce there will be a lottery system in place for opening weekend (June 19-20), then the season will open as usual on June 21 from 6 am to 6 pm through September 30. The lottery system will allow fishers to access the reservoir for one 4-hour session, either in the morning or afternoon, on Saturday or Sunday of opening weekend.

(Koke’e) – A DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) Koke’e Fuel Reduction project is scheduled to begin work on Monday, April 19th. This Kaua’i DOFAW project is expected to take approximately three months depending on weather conditions.

(Waimānalo Bay Beach Park) – The City and County of Honolulu (C&C) Dept. of Parks and Recreation is keeping this park closed today, following the removal this morning, of the body of a Hawaiian Humpback whale.  The 25 to 35-ton carcass was first spotted in the ocean off the beach yesterday morning, along with at least three large Tiger sharks that were feeding on it. Overnight, as expected, the whale’s body washed into the shore break. 

(HONOLULU) - Five proposed changes, including four additions totaling roughly 8,100 acres and one withdrawal of about 2.7 acres, are being considered for the State Forest Reserve System (FRS), which is managed by the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). The FRS represents the state’s largest public forest lands that provide a variety of benefits including aesthetic benefits; watershed restoration; native, threatened, and endangered species habitat protection and management; cultural resources; and recreational and hunting opportunities, among others. DOFAW will hold a virtual hearing at 6:00pm on April 28, 2021, to receive testimony on the proposed changes affecting the FRS. 

(Waimānalo) – At least three large Tiger sharks have been spotted feeding on the decomposing carcass of a Hawaiian Humpback whale, just off-shore from Waimānalo Bay Beach Park. Shark warning signs are up, and lifeguards and law enforcement officials have been warning people to stay out of the water. 

(HONOLULU) – Today, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources fined the owners of dams on O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island for not addressing risks associated with major deficiencies to dam structures.  The dams/reservoirs fined are Wahiawa on O'ahu and Keaīwa on Hawai'i. 

(Kekaha)- Construction is set to begin tomorrow at the Kikiaola Small Boat Harbor on various site improvements. These improvements include installation of a new water main, installation of a new prefabricated comfort station with an individual wastewater system, resurface asphalt pavement, new concrete pavement at boat ramp approach, new boat ramp concrete panels, relocation of the boat wash down area and drainage upgrades.  

(HONOLULU) – Aquatic biologists from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) con-ducted rapid SCUBA dive assessments of three underwater suspected unexploded ordnances (UXO) off Lana‘i’s south shore. The DAR assessment, on March 25, was to identify any potential UXO impacts on reefs and the marine environment.

(Honolulu) – A seven-month-long sewer improvement project begins next Monday at the Sand Island State Recreation Area (SRA). Phase two of this project includes a new pump station, comfort station sewer lines, force main to the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant (SIWWTP) and connecting sewer lines.

(HONOLULU) – In a sweeping and complex, 46-page-long ruling, First Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey P. Crabtree ruled in favor of the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR), Maui County, Alexander and Baldwin, and East Maui Irrigation, in a case brought by the Sierra Club regarding water diversions from east Maui streams.  The BLNR allocates available water for off-stream uses.